Real estate commentary from Christchurch's north-east.

Menu

Christchurch building consents hold steady

With new building consent figures equal but not bettering last year’s figures I think it is not unreasonable to ask why? Liz McDonald in The Weekend Presswrites:

New Canterbury homes are going up no faster than a year ago, according to building consents figures compiled by Statistics New Zealand.

A total of 378 new homes were given building consent by local councils in January, almost the same number as the 379 consented in January last year.

Numbers fell for Christchurch City, down about a quarter from 209 to 152, while consents for new homes rose in surrounding districts.

One could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that the rebuild of our city is stifled, and it is not hard to understand why some home owners are totally frustrated and had enough. Come on EQC and insurance companies – can’t we pick up the pace a little for the sake of sanity?

The basics still apply…Presentation, Presentation, Presentation…. Yes the old adage of “presentation sells” has certainly stood the test of time during my 24 year tenure of selling real estate. There were some great ideas the in Your Weekend insert in The Weekend Press. Here’s an excerpt from the article ‘Going For Sold’:

People are often unaware, says agent Helen Anderson, of the power of setting up a house to sell. ‘‘People who understand that, do it. Often when they don’t, they have no idea that big prices come from well presented homes.’’ Location can’t be upgraded but presentation can.

While it sounds like sales hysteria it is the truth. It is hard to feel excited about a dowdy and boring home, on the contrary sharp and appealing presentation creates energy and a sense of well being. It’s a pity my teenagers don’t get that about their bedrooms! Well that’s another story and best I don’t go there…

Go the extra mile when selling in Christchurch
Taking the time to compile additional information when selling will definitely pay dividends. Everything from EQC and insurance scopes to even providing a simple thing like an insurance policy number can all help to give both the purchasers and their chosen financing and legal professionals the confidence to help the sale across the line. Engineers’ reports or thorough property inspections including floor levels – it all starts from the ground up after an earthquake – are invaluable in the sale process. Forgive me for saying it again, but every house should have some form of post-quake inspection – a warrant of fitness, so to speak. Knight Frank valuation director Will Blake has also stressed the importance of robust reports when selling TC3 properties:

Knight Frank says its research shows real estate agents are finding TC3 properties take more work to sell because of the stigma attached and because lenders are cautious. However, the agents report success, and emphasised the need for sellers to provide thorough reports. Homes in the suburbs of Fendalton, Merivale, Strowan and Parklands were selling especially well.

No longer do we paint by joining the numbers, we sell by joining them. Credible and transparent information wins the day!

On that positive note it is time for me to sign off but not before I welcome Karie Thoms to Team Griff as my new office administrator – she comes with very high recommendation so watch this space….

About Peter Griffioen

Peter Griffioen (or simply "Griff") has been a real estate consultant with Harcourts for over 20 years, selling well in excess of $200m worth of property. Based in Christchurch's north-eastern suburbs, he has come to know the local neighbourhoods like the back of his hand, and in the aftermath of recent earthquakes, is striving to help his local clients navigate a way forward.